Card housing device

ABSTRACT

A card housing device of flat construction is disclosed. The device allows for the complete insertion of a card through a narrow housing opening which may be sealed by a seal. The seal includes a sealing element which may be displaced in a direction normal to a displacement plane of the card. Conventional devices of this type are unsuitable for application in a tachograph due to installation requirements. The sealing element on the card housing device is spring-mounted by at least one elastic element.

The invention relates to a card receiving device, in particular for atachograph in a motor vehicle of a flat construction, which completelydraws in a card in a plane of movement, with an elongate receivingopening, through which the card reaches the card receiving device, andwith a closure, which has a closure element, which extends in thelongitudinal direction of the receiving opening and blocks the receivingopening in the closed position of the closure, the closure element beingmovable in a direction normal to the plane of movement within the travelrequired for the reception of the card.

The main focus of application of the device according to the inventionlies in the area of tachographs or devices for recording the workingperiods and rest periods of commercial vehicle drivers. However, otherapplications are likewise feasible, for example in the area of bankingand for making payments, or locking systems. The invention isadvantageously used in combination with all types of card-like datastorage media. On account of the great commercial and legal importanceof the data which can be acquired with tachographs, the recordings haveto be reliably secured against manipulation. The security measuresrelate both to data acquisition and data transmission and to thetransmission and storage of the acquired data in the memory of the card.Relevant standards place strict requirements on the security standard tobe achieved by the measures. It is therefore stipulated that the cardshould be entirely held by the card receiving device during the readingand writing operations and be isolated from the surroundings by means ofsuitable closure devices. The closure devices have to be arrested in theclosed position during the reading and writing operations. Additionaldifficulties arise on account of operational failures in conventionaldevices caused by contamination, in particular by contact beinginterrupted or even when the card is being drawn in. It is problematicalto draw in the card and position it exactly on the contacts of thedevice because the cards have high manufacturing tolerances in relationto the required positional accuracy with respect to the contacts of thedevice. Since the cards are predominantly perceived by the user to bedistinguished by a high degree of robustness, said cards are generallynot handled with the care that is actually required, so that, inaddition to the tolerances caused by manufacture, deformation and damageimpair the way in which the card operates when interacting with the cardreceiving devices. Furthermore, the operating conditions in motorvehicles place increased requirements on functional reliability onaccount of the pronounced vibrations and countless bumps and thewide-ranging temperature fluctuations. Implementing security againstmanipulation and the desired handling convenience mean it is necessaryto draw in the card fully automatically. However, in order to meet thisrequirement, great difficulties are faced in terms of constructionbecause the installation space available in a tachograph, which is thesize of a car radio, provides only approximately a height of 10 mm forthe fully automatic drawing-in process. An important application of theinvention lies in the area of commercial vehicles, in particulartransporters of hazardous materials, for which relevant protectionclasses are of central significance. For instance, protection againstdust deposits, complete protection against contact with live or internalmoving parts, protection against penetration by dust or protectionagainst penetration by water splashing against the device from alldirections is prescribed as an imperative requirement. These boundaryconditions place special requirements on a closure of the receivingopening of a card receiving device.

European Patent Application EP 1 017 013 A3 already discloses a closingdevice for a device of a similar generic type in which a segmented drumblocks or releases the opening, the drum being controlled and driven bymeans of a suitable gear mechanism. On account of the great structuraland production engineering complexity, the solution is not suitable formass production. European Patent Specification EP 0 342 407 B1 alreadydiscloses a device in which a closure is movable in the generic way, butthe proposed solution is extremely complex.

Devices of the generic type with a guillotine-like closing movement arenowadays found in most automated teller machines. The safetyrequirements in the case of these devices are comparable or even morestringent, manipulation being made more difficult already by the factthat these devices are under constant surveillance. However, the knowntechnique cannot be transferred to a tachograph, because it does notmeet the requirements in terms of installation space.

On the basis of the practical requirements and the problems anddisadvantages of the prior art, it is the object of the invention toclose a card receiving device by means of a closure in conformity withrelevant protection classes, with at the same time a high degree ofsuitability for mass production, low production tolerances and areliable operating mode.

The object is achieved according to the invention by a card receivingdevice of the type mentioned at the beginning in which the closureelement is resiliently mounted on the card receiving device by means ofat least one elastic element. The decisive advantage of the inventionlies in the incomparably low complexity of the resilient mounting, whichmakes all additional mechanical components, in particular gearcomponents, superfluous to the greatest extent. On account of its lowstructural complexity, the very simple solution is accompanied by greatreliability and low production costs. At the same time as savingmechanically complex gear components, the installation space for theclosure is reduced considerably, which is of extremely great interest inparticular in the case of the installation space given in the area ofmotor vehicle tachographs, similar to the format of a car radio. Anoutstanding operating mode of the closure can be obtained with anoverall height of less than 10 mm without involving any specialcomplexity in terms of production engineering.

An advantageous development of the invention provides that the closureelement has at least one extension arm, which extends in an inwarddirection of the card receiving device and is rotatably mounted in afirst axis of rotation, so that the closure element performs a movementclosing the receiving opening in a manner substantially similar to aguillotine within the travel required for the reception of the chipcard. Without complex linear guidance but by means of an axis ofrotation that is arranged away from the closure element, a reliablefunction can be obtained in this way at low cost. By contrast withlinear guidance of the closure element, the mounting in an axis ofrotation does not have any tendency to block, since the torques in themounting increase with increasing distance from the closure element.Nevertheless, on account of the small travel of the closure element andthe resultant small angle of rotation in the axis of rotation, amovement of the closure element that is to the greatest extentexclusively translatory can be ensured, which is likewise conducive tothe reliable closing of the receiving opening, since contaminants thatbecome attached to the closure or the adjacent bearing surfaces are notable to hinder the movement of the closure element, as they can forexample in the case of a pivoting flap.

The advantages of the invention come to bear in particular if theclosure element is attached to at least one leaf spring. The leaf springmay in this case advantageously extend substantially in a plane parallelto the plane of the card. In this way, in the case of a leaf spring of apreferred elongate configuration, the closure element moves in a mannerthat is substantially translatory and perpendicular to the plane ofmovement, so that an advantageous guillotine-like closure takes place.The decisive advantage lies in the saving of all the gear components,since the upstream leaf spring provides the arrangement with preciselythe required degrees of freedom of movement. At the same time, theresilient mounting that is advantageous according to the invention isprovided.

The greatest stability is achieved if the closure element is formedintegrally with the leaf spring. At the same time, the number ofcomponents is reduced, with the effect of lowering cost. In this sense,further advantages are obtained if the leaf spring is part of a further,component-carrying, if appropriate central, carrier.

As already explained in respect of the example of the leaf spring, it isgenerally expedient if the closure element is resiliently mounted in adirection normal to the plane of movement within the travel required forthe reception of the chip card. The advantages according to theinvention arise from the combination of the resilient mounting in adirection normal to the plane of movement with a freedom of movement ofthe closure element that is oriented in a substantially translatorymanner in a direction normal to the plane of movement. It should bepointed out that, as already proposed in the preferred embodiment,rotational movements by small angles do not restrict the successaccording to the invention as long as the movement of the closureelement is substantially a translatory movement oriented perpendicularlyin relation to the plane of movement. The ratio of the travel requiredfor the reception of the card to the distance of an axis of rotation ofthe movement of the closure element located in the inward direction ofthe closure element is of significance here. This axis of rotation isadvantageously arranged away from the closure element in the inwarddirection by at least ten times the usual travel of the closure element.The same applies to the fastening of one end of a leaf spring inconnection with the closure element.

In order that the user can open a closure just by applying pressure bymeans of the card to be inserted, it is expedient if the closure elementhas on the input side a run-in slope for the card to be inserted that islocated on the outside and extends in the longitudinal direction of thereceiving opening. In the same way, it is expedient for the withdrawalof a card from the device according to the invention if the closureelement has a run-in slope for the card to be pushed out that is locatedon the inside and extends in the longitudinal direction of the receivingopening.

Since, in particular in the area of commercial vehicles, it cannot beassumed that the cards to be received will be handled with care, it isexpedient if, in the closed position, the closure element bears in anelastically prestressed manner against a counter abutment, during theinward movement into the card receiving device the card is arrangedbetween the counter abutment and the closure element, is facing theclosure element with a first flat side and is facing the counterabutment with a second flat side and the closure element is stressedagainst the flat side of the card facing the closure element. In thisway, contaminants are stripped from the card by means of the closureelement during the drawing-in movement. The stripping device may beprovided both by the closure element and by the counter abutment. Sincethe closure element has preferred suitability for this strippingfunction, it is expedient if the card receiving device has a set ofcontacts for the contacting of the card that are arranged on the sameside of the plane of movement as the closure element. In this way, thecard is freed of contaminants particularly thoroughly on that flat sidewhich comes into conducting connection with the contacts of the set ofcontacts in the end position. If the seal lying opposite the closureelement is formed in a way making it suitable for stripping, it is inthe same way advisable on account of the pressing force of the closureelement for the same to be arranged on the side of the card oppositefrom the set of contacts.

In order that in particular no splash water can penetrate into thedevice, it is advisable if, in the closed position, the closure elementbears against a first seal extending in the longitudinal direction ofthe receiving opening. For further protection from splash water, it isadditionally expedient to provide the receiving opening with a secondseal in the transverse direction, against which the closure elementbears in the closed position. Additional savings and a reduction in thenumber of components are obtained if the first seal, extending in thelongitudinal direction of the receiving opening, forms with the secondseal, extending in the transverse direction of the receiving opening, acomponent that can be used as strip material, if appropriate underelastic deformation, or already has a correspondingly shaped contour.

For a pleasing external appearance, it is advisable to provide thedevice with a front panel, which has a rear side and a visible side andis provided in the region of the receiving opening of the card receivingdevice with a recess, which is at least partially surrounded on the rearside by a third seal, which seals with respect to the front side of thecard receiving device in the region of the receiving opening, so thatneither splash water nor dust can penetrate. This third seal expedientlyforms a component with the seal already sealing with respect to theclosure element, so that the card receiving device has a front panelwith a rear side, a visible side and with a recess in the region of thereceiving opening the card, the cross section of the seal has a harderregion, which extends in the longitudinal direction and against whichthe closure element bears in the closed position, and a softer region,which bears against the rear side of the panel.

For the case in which water happens to get between the actual cardreceiving device and the front panel in spite of the seal, it isadvisable if the panel has underneath the recess at least one drainageopening.

It is expedient both for the automatic opening of the closure element onthe basis of a pressure applied by means of the card to be received andalso for a better sealing effect of the closure if the closure elementhas a cross section that tapers in the form of a wedge or runs to apoint in relation to the seal, so that a substantially linear contact isobtained between the seal and the closure element in the closedposition.

To make allowance for relevant legal standards for tachographs, it isadvisable if the card receiving device has a locking unit, which locksthe closure in the closed position. In the case of resilient mounting ofthe closure element by means of a leaf spring, it is of particularadvantage if the locking element of the locking unit blocks the leafspring in the closed position. The advantages of the invention comefully to bear if the card can be automatically drawn into the cardreceiving device or withdrawn.

The invention is explained in more detail below to illustrate it on thebasis of a specific exemplary embodiment and with reference to drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the closure according to the invention as acomponent part of a carrier;

FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section through a closure element of aclosure according to the invention with a formed-on leaf spring;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective representation of two closures according tothe invention, arranged on a common carrier;

FIG. 4 shows a plan view of a closure according to the invention with alocking unit in the non-locked position;

FIG. 5 shows a plan view of a closure according to the invention with alocking unit in the locked position;

FIG. 6 shows a plan view of an arrangement according to the invention ofseals on a closure according to the invention;

FIG. 7 shows a front view of the sealing arrangement of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows a section through an arrangement according to the inventionof a seal along the section A-A represented in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows a view from below of a closure element according to theinvention together with a sealing arrangement according to theinvention;

FIG. 10 shows a detailed representation according to the detail Zindicated in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 shows a longitudinal section through a closure according to theinvention together with a front panel of a card receiving device;

FIG. 12 shows a detailed representation according to the detail Zindicated in FIG. 11.

In FIG. 1, a closure element 7 according to the invention of a closure 6is provided with the designation 7 and is represented together with anelastic element 8, formed as an extension arm 10, or a leaf spring 11 ona carrier 13. The carrier 13 and the leaf spring 11 are punched out froma metal sheet and the closure element 7 is molded as a plastic part ontothe end of the leaf spring 11 on the input side. Likewise molded ontothe carrier 13 are latching hooks 31 for the mounting of a sealing unit32, represented in FIGS. 6 to 12. On account of the low amplitude, themovement of the closure element 7 of the closure 6 can be described byapproximation as a rotation about a first axis of rotation 20, which isarranged in the region of the attachment of the leaf spring 11 and runsparallel to a plane of movement 4 of a card 2.

As also shown in FIGS. 2, 3, the closure element 7 has on the inputside, in an inward direction 9, an outer run-in slope 14. By means ofthe outer run-in slope 14, the card is capable of pushing aside theclosure element 7 from a receiving opening 5 perpendicularly in relationto the plane of movement 4 of the card 2. On the inner side of theclosure element 7 there is likewise an inner run-in slope 15, whichmakes it possible for the card 2 to push aside the closure element 7 asit leaves the device. The leaf spring 11, carrying the closure element7, is offset approximately 6 mm in relation to the plane of the carrier13 by being bent away in the direction of the plane of movement 4 of thecard 2 and is therefore provided with a prestress that is obtainedduring operation when it bears against a counter abutment.

In a way corresponding to the preferred use of tachographs, two closuresaccording to the invention are usually arranged on a common carrier 13,as shown in FIG. 3.

In FIGS. 4, 5, a locking unit 29 is represented, provided with thedesignation 29. In FIG. 4, the locking unit 29 is in a non-lockedposition and, in FIG. 5, the locking element is locked by means of thelocking unit 29. The locking unit 29 has two locking elements 30, 35,which can in each case be pivoted about a third axis of rotation 33, 34.The two locking elements 30, 35 are arranged laterally of the closure 6on both sides of the plane of movement 4 for a card. The lockingelements 35, 30 are respectively provided on the end faces, facing theclosure element 7, with a run-in slope 36, 37, which makes it possiblefor the locking elements 30, 35 to push themselves behind the closureelement 7 in a plane between the plane of the closure element 7 and theplane of the carrier 13, so that the closure 6 can no longer spring backinto an open position.

In FIG. 6, a sealing unit 32 is represented, which seal has cut-outrecesses 38, 39, which correspond to the latching hooks 31. The sealingunit 32, consisting of plastic, encloses the receiving opening 5 for thecard in the plane of movement 4 in a U-shaped manner and is provided onthe side facing the plane of movement 4 with a seal 40. The seal 40integrally combines a first seal 21, extending in the longitudinaldirection of the receiving opening 5, and two second seals 22, extendingin the transverse direction of the receiving opening 5. The seal 40 isfitted in an interlocking manner in a corresponding receiving formation41. The cross section of the seal 40 that is represented in FIG. 8 showsthe arrangement with a first sealing lip 42 for sealing with respect toa front panel 25. As FIGS. 9, 10 illustrate, the region of the secondseal 22 has a chamber-like clearance with a second sealing lip 43, whichis formed in a resilient manner and faces in the inward direction 9. Thesecond sealing lip 43 seals with respect to a laterally protrudingsealing surface 44 of the closure element, so that no splash water canpenetrate laterally of the closure element 7 either.

As FIGS. 11, 12 illustrate in the detail of the partial representationof a card receiving device 1, if it is installed in accordance withregulations, the closure element 7 of the closure 6 closes with amovement from the bottom upward, that is to say substantially counter tothe direction of gravitational force, and comes to bear against thefirst seal 21 in the closed position. The installation position may alsobe inclined by up to 300 according to the invention. The resilientclosure 7 thereby prevents the card from falling out when it is ejected,by means of clamping. On account of the wedge shape of the closureelement 7, the bearing contact is substantially linear. On account ofthis arrangement, the seal 40 describes a substantially inverted U shapearound the receiving opening 5. In this way, splash water penetratingthrough a receiving recess 28 of the front panel 25 that corresponds tothe receiving opening 5 can, under the driving effect of gravitationalforce, run into a drainage channel 46, located under the receivingopening 5 behind the front panel 25 on the rear side 26, and from thereleave the moisture-sensitive region from a drain 45. The portion thatseals with respect to the front panel 25 is formed as a softer region 24of the seal 40 and is softer than an adjacent, harder region 23,arranged as a counter abutment of the closure element. These two regions23, 24 are integrally connected to each other.

1. A card receiving device for a tachograph in a motor vehicle of a flatconstruction arranged to completely draw in a card in a plane ofmovement, the device comprising: an elongate receiving opening throughwhich the card reaches the card receiving device, a closure comprising aclosure element extending in the longitudinal direction of the receivingopening and blocking the receiving opening in a closed position of theclosure, the closure element further comprising means for moving in adirection normal to the plane of movement within a travel required forreception of the card, and wherein the closure element is resilientlymounted on the card receiving device by means of at least one elasticelement.
 2. The card receiving device according to claim 1, wherein theclosure element has at least one extension arm arranged to extend in aninward direction of the card receiving device and be rotatably mountedin a first axis of rotation such that the closure element performs amovement closing the receiving opening in a manner substantially similarto a guillotine within travel required for the reception of the card. 3.The card receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the closureelement attached to at least one leaf spring.
 4. The card receivingdevice according to claim 1, wherein the closure element is resilientlymounted in a direction normal to the plane of movement within the travelrequired for the reception of the card.
 5. The card receiving deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the closure element is movable in atranslatory manner in a direction normal to the plane of movement withinthe travel required for the reception of the card.
 6. The card receivingdevice according to claim 3, wherein the leaf spring is arrangedsubstantially in a plane parallel to the plane of movement.
 7. The cardreceiving device according to claim 3, wherein the closure element isformed integrally with the leaf spring.
 8. The card receiving deviceaccording to claim 3, wherein the leaf spring is formed as part of acarrier carrying further components.
 9. The card receiving deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the closure element has on the input sidean outer run-in slope for the card to be inserted that is located on theoutside and extends in the longitudinal direction of the receivingopening.
 10. The card receiving device according to claim 1, wherein theclosure element has an inner run-in slope for the card to be pushed outthat is located on the inside and extends in the longitudinal directionof the receiving opening.
 11. The card receiving device according toclaim 1, wherein; in the closed position, the closure element isarranged to bear in an elastically prestressed manner against a counterabutment, and during the inward movement into the card receiving devicethe card (2) is arranged between the counter abutment and the closureelement, is facing the closure element with a first flat side and isfacing the counter abutment with a second flat side and the closureelement is stressed against the flat side of the card facing the closureelement.
 12. The card receiving device according to claim 1, wherein,the card receiving device further comprises a set of contacts arrangedto contact the card and further arranged on the other side of the planeof movement than the closure element.
 13. The card receiving deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein the first axis of rotation is arrangedaway from the closure element in the inward direction by at least tentimes the usual travel of the closure.
 14. The card receiving deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein the first axis of rotation is arranged sofar away from the closure element that the closure element closes thereceiving opening in a manner similar to a guillotine.
 15. The cardreceiving device according to claim 1, wherein, in the closed position,the closure element bears against a first seal extending in thelongitudinal direction of the receiving opening.
 16. The card receivingdevice according to claim 1, wherein in the closed position, the closureelement bears against a second seal arranged on both sides of thereceiving opening in the transverse direction of the receiving opening17. The card receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the cardreceiving device further comprises a front panel with a rear side, avisible side and with a receiving recess in the region of the receivingopening for the card, the cross section of the seal has a harder region,which extends in the longitudinal direction and against which theclosure element bears in the closed position, and a softer region, whichextends in the longitudinal direction and bears against the rear side ofthe front panel.
 18. The card receiving device according to claim 17,wherein the front panel comprises underneath the receiving recess atleast one drainage opening.
 19. The card receiving device according toclaim 1, wherein, the closure element has a cross section that tapers ina form of a wedge or runs to a point in relation to the seal, so that asubstantially linear contact is obtained between the seal and theclosure element in the closed position.
 20. The card receiving deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the card receiving device has a lockingunit arranged to lock the closure in the closed position.
 21. The cardreceiving device according to claim 1, wherein, the locking unit isarranged to additionally press the closure element against the seal inthe locked position.
 22. The card receiving device according to claim 3,wherein, the leaf is arranged to be blocked in the closed position ofthe closure by means of a locking element of the locking unit.
 23. Thecard receiving device according to claim 1, further comprising a lockingelement of the locking unit arranged to be movable in a planesubstantially parallel to the card.
 24. The card receiving deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein further comprising means for automaticallydrawing in the card.
 25. The card receiving device according to claim 1,further comprising means for automatically withdrawing the card.